I wouldn’t call it a problem, I would say it’s something to be aware of. We all benefit from humbling of course, but when it causes you to drop out of school or something along those lines that would be a problem. That’s what familial and academic support is for though.
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Nasim Taleb would call that Hormesis, or becoming stronger due to opposition.
The same is true for athletes, right? I dominated my high school league, went to college and everyone was 6’4" and could hit the ball 500’.
On a macro level, I don’t believe that is a matter the government should concern themselves. Removing temporary disappointment is harmful longterm.
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I do know of hormesis ha though normally it’s referring to epigenetics.
Athletics is the first thing I think of when I think of that. Like the kid that was throwing 70 in little league from 48.6 feet and doesn’t play ball after HS. Or your example.
Yeah if you remove temporary disappointment we will become even more hell-bent on instant gratification. It’s hard to believe it can get worse…but I’m sure it can
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If you are inclined, Antifragile is an excellent book and describes his thoughts on this matter… as they pertain to economics.
Always looking for great books. Will check it out. Thanks.
Do you feel that black-americans have taken this on as their culture?
RE: Education in inner-city schools:
Without unfunded government mandates and added legislation. Something I would be more than will to participate in is an after school program.
Question of course is: How do we motivate small-medium local business owners’ to contribute to after school programs?
A tax break if business owner/principal/partner participates in regular after school program? This is something I certainly wouldn’t be apposed to doing.
Thoughts?
Culture arises organically, so I’m not sure what you mean by “taken on.”
'taken on: West coast slang for what you just said. haha
In other words, if there is a segment in the inner cities that doesn’t want a cultural ‘fix’.
As is made abundantly clear by the statements of some of the white middle-class folk on this board, it is not uncommon for people to react defensively to what they perceive are attempts to alter (or, god forbid, ‘fix’) their culture.
The socioeconomic condition would be slavery, yes? Now that slavery has been abolished and equal rights mandated by government and accepted by citizens. How do we move forward?
Not in toto, no. Remember, de jure institutional racism only ended in the 1960s. De facto institutional racism, while lessened greatly from its previous extent, is still with us.
It sounds like you’re suggesting actionable racism (ie, racism which actually affects the social, educational and occupational opportunities of minorities) is a thing of the past. I would suggest that’s not the case–not yet.
In my opinion, we keep doing what we’re doing vis a vis affirmative action, rooting out the last vestiges of institutional racism, having frank discussions concerning race amongst ourselves, etc. We’ll get there. I’m a firm believer in what MLK said: ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.’
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I think we agree.
Does institutional racism, in your opinion, exist on a macro level? I would assume so, considering your use of ‘institutional’ and others stating ‘systemic’. Which institution is racist? Towards which race?
Is time the factor here? I’ve heard three generations to remove an ideologue belief.
Good question(s), and very hard to answer. For example, do banks still discriminate against blacks seeking a home or business loan? Do they still red-line neighborhoods? Clearly, if they do, they don’t do so in the overt way they used to. But it is my understanding that a deep dive into the data suggest–not prove, suggest–such things still occur. (Not to pick on bankers, of course.)
Time is certainly a factor. Consider the virulent, actionable racism endured by the Irish in the mid-to-late 1800s. It petered out at some point in the early-to-mid 20th century, leaving no current vestiges that I can appreciate. (I assume you would agree that it would be laughably ludicrous for an Irish-American to claim that they deserve affirmative action because their Irish heritage has left them with a pervasive, intergenerational, sociocultural disadvantage.)
Now, how long will it take for African-Americans to enjoy the same status that those of Irish ancestry enjoy today? That is, at what point in the future will it be ‘laughably ludicrous’ for a black person to claim that their prospects are limited by their heritage? I don’t think anyone can answer that question with certainty. But I do believe that day will come.
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I would assume this would be more difficult these days, with how mortgages are processed and sold as a package.
But yes, similar to the Class Action against Wal-Mart several years ago. They attempted to prove that Wal-Mart as a whole discriminated by paying less to women and minorities vs. individual stores having remnants of discriminatory practices. (which the WM lawyers created a pay system that prevents this from happening. This has caused other issues such as raise increases are capped… I digress)
Well, if there is a line forming, I’ll get in line.
On my mother’s side, my great grand father’s parents moved from NY to Oregon in the mid 1800s to escape this.
And, my last name (obviously from my dad’s side) was changed to conceal their Irish heritage.
Re: Time - Hopefully this is something that we see in my lifetime.
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Like my heritage, my last name is very, very Irish.
I know the DOE dismissed a case against Harvard, in light of a UT Austin, Supreme Court ruling. BUT, these Asian advocacy groups have been really successful in moving the “bamboo ceiling” just by putting some public pressure, and calling attention to these very bright Asian kids being held to a much higher standard.
The complaint against Harvard last year cited third-party academic research on the SAT exam showing that Asian-Americans have to score on average about 140 points higher than white students, 270 points higher than Hispanic students and 450 points higher than African-American students to equal their chances of gaining admission to Harvard. The exam is scored on a 2400-point scale. WSJ
We now have a plurality at the top UC campuses, with between 40-50% Asian students, even though we have about 12% Asians in CA. At UCSD, closer to 50% of the students are Asian. After students filed a complaint against Princeton in 2006, its admission rate increased to 25.4% in 2014 from 14.7% in 2007._
Chris, I just wanted to say, I don’t think there’s really a thing as “the Black experience.” Jason Riley touched on this in the clip I put up. Not to say we’re somehow post-racial. We aren’t. But culture in the US is often much more about socioeconomic status and class. @MoreMuscle and I were talking about this on another thread awhile ago. The two of us likely have more in common with each other than he would with a poor Black kid who grew up in a Chicago project, or I would with a poor white kid who grew up in an Appalachian trailer park. He pointed out that those two people would likely have more in common with each other. Sorry if that’s awkward.
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Haven’t watched the video. I will.
I don’t specifically know what “the Black experience.” is defined as. Although, my question was an attempt to address the cultural impacts of slavery.
Probably. But if the four of you went for separate walk-throughs in a department store, there’s a pretty good chance that you and the poor white cracker would have one experience, while @MoreMuscle and the project kid would have another. The same is probably true if the four of you were (again, separately) pulled over by the police.
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Have any family castles?
Not that I know of. You?